


Round One

by kakumei



Category: Saints Row
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bromance, Gen, Rivalry, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-14
Updated: 2014-08-14
Packaged: 2018-02-13 04:24:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2136894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kakumei/pseuds/kakumei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos and Matt have some heated rivalry over video games.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Round One

**Author's Note:**

> I finally took a stab at the Carlos/Matt broship that’s been steaming in my head, though at this point they’ve barely met and are a little icy towards each other for personal reasons. This is based off a prompt given to me by Cptprocrastination from Tumblr - "Want to play a game?"
> 
> This drabble’s part of my canon timeline in my Matt/OC fic collection 'Pretty Frightful Things', where Boss Angelo travels back in time after SRIV and rescues Carlos. However, Carlos has a hard time adjusting to life on the Ship - and Matt’s not making it any easier for him. 
> 
> Thanks a bunch to hunnybadgerv for looking over the drabble and making sure everything made sense :3

When he wasn’t shooting aliens with the Boss, Carlos found himself doing a whole lot of nothing during his breaks. Sure there was a guitar on the Ship but he preferred to do duets. The Boss, his usual partner, tended to make tangents to the past which made their talks a little depressing. Donnie was an easier, if not awkward, conversationalist - when Lin wasn’t distracting him in the hangar, at least.

It was the sounds of grunting and clashing steel coming from the hold that made Carlos jump out of the eggcup chair, after spending hours in the lounge sighing and glazing over the same comic he’d read two days ago. Once he heard a booming narrator declare a fatal KO, he dashed from the circular room (earning a belabored sigh from the spy near the weights). There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that someone had a video game and he’d finally have something to do on this goddamn Ship.

The sliding doors didn’t open for Carlos right away, its sensors incapable of picking up his speed; he skidded on his sneakers and forced himself to a halt, sparing his face a painful crash into steel. Carlos readjusted his purple beanie, slipping an expletive under his breath. But he had little time for relief. A more vicious curse thundered out of him as Carlos discovered that Matt - that cocky bicho - was smashing buttons and tossing about his elbows in front of the monitor and console adjacent to his plaid couch.

“I can’t help you right now,” the hacker informed with mild irritation over his shoulder. When Carlos didn’t respond right away, Matt double-taked from his punch-kick combo and rolled his eyes at his visitor. “ _Oh._ ”

“Hey.” said Carlos, digging his hands deep into his pockets. The brig seemed a little colder and tighter with just the two of them there.

“As I said, I’m not available. I don’t have time to look over whatever you’ve broken this time.” sighed Matt. Both had maintained a frosty impression of the other after the hacker’s pretentious attempt to explain some Ship technology to a then-bewildered Carlos.

“Come on man, I’m just here for the goddamn video game.”

Matt tapped another swift combo, and his avatar finished his match with a series of quick swipes. “Are you going to watch me play?”

Carlos shrugged, biting his lip. “Do you have another controller?”

“You… want to play? Are you even familiar with this?” Matt quipped.

“For Christ’s sake!” Carlos was getting close to choking the bastard, but his persistent need for something entertaining saved some of his patience. “I don’t need to know this is _Soul Calibur_ to play a fucking fighting game!”

“For your information -”

“Ah, cut the crap. I’ve been following this series since I was a kid. Now get me the controller.”

The unenthusiastic search for the controller made it obvious that Matt wasn’t used to company. He had constructed an assortment of drawers next to his monitor desk that contained spare parts, devices, and various paraphernalia relevant to his personal interests. Judging by his constant hemming and hawing, Matt couldn’t seem to remember which one had what he was looking for, and by the time he found his dusty spare controller the video game had played a trailer in his absence. In the meantime, Carlos faced the couch horizontal to the monitor screen so that they could share a seat in front of the action. He shivered while waiting for Matt to connect the controller, shifting against the hard cushion springs beneath him.

Matt claimed the opposite end of the couch and shuffled through the game interface until he reached the multiplayer screen. Now that they were sharing his game, Carlos recognized that playing nice with the other young man seemed inevitable - even if it left a bitter taste in Carlos’ mouth.

“So. You like Raphael, eh?” Carlos started, clearing his throat. He watched Matt select a handsome rapier-wielding noble with his sleek blond hair framing his red eyes. Gothic plate armor pressed against his impressive chest, and around his neck was an ascot and a split cape with a tall collar that would’ve made Dracula envious.

“Of course.” said Matt, claiming the opposite end of the couch. “I haven’t played this game in a while, but I’ve been working on perfecting Raphael’s movesets. Though, I suppose the effort might be wasted considering the number of game enthusiasts on this Ship.”

“You saying I don’t got what it takes to beat you?” Carlos scrolled to a tall knight with flowing golden hair, light gleaming from the carved wings of his azure armor. “Raphael’s flimsy little piece can’t handle a brick wall like my man Siegfried. See that huge broadsword of his? Three rounds getting clobbered with that, and your little vampire’s toast.”

“He’s not a vampire.” Matt scoffed. “He’s afflicted with the curse of Soul Edge, which binds him to a dark and unnatural long life so long as the sword holds control over his soul. Being a _fan_ of this series, you should have known that.”

“Whatever, man.” Carlos waved a hand at Matt’s direction. “Pick the moat stage. I’m about to kick your ass.”

“It’s a moving barge.”

“Ugh!” Carlos hit the A and B buttons on his controller, sending a long arching hit that would have smashed Raphael’s skull if it hadn’t been a virtual fight. “It’s a barge on a moat. Shut up already!”


End file.
